Know Him

ONLY speak when HE says speak… it’s so hard to do

16 After seven days the Lord gave me a message. He said,17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately.18 If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths.19 If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.

20 “If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths.21 But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.”

22 Then the Lord took hold of me and said, “Get up and go out into the valley, and I will speak to you there.”23 So I got up and went, and there I saw the glory of the Lord, just as I had seen in my first vision by the Kebar River. And I fell face down on the ground.

24 Then the Spirit came into me and set me on my feet. He spoke to me and said, “Go to your house and shut yourself in.25 There, son of man, you will be tied with ropes so you cannot go out among the people.26 And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be speechless and unable to rebuke them, for they are rebels.27 But when I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak. Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Those who choose to listen will listen, but those who refuse will refuse, for they are rebels. ~ Ezekiel 3:16-27

This is pretty stinking clear — speak when God tells you to speak. God knows how we tend to speak when we shouldn’t, we speak for him, it’s so easy for man to say “thus sayeth the Lord” and give a message to people that have no power and no meaning.

God tells Ezekiel that if he tells him to speak to people and he doesn’t deliver the message their blood/death is on his hands, but if he does tell them and they don’t listen he is FREE of whatever happens to them. WOWZERS!!! That is huge huge huge. NEVER speak for God unless God tells you to… period!! This is different than quoting scriptures to someone, giving them the “word” … this is warnings from God about a life being led by someone. Think about how the Christians in this world speak to gays, Muslims, people who have or perform abortions, and the list can go on…. we cannot speak for God, we CAN give scripture, but we cannot say more than that UNLESS God himself directs you and GIVES you the words. (eat the scroll….)

This is so important and we are so prideful thinking we know look what God does to Ezekiel (who is a mighty man in the Lord) “Go to your house and shut yourself in. 25 There, son of man, you will be tied with ropes so you cannot go out among the people.26 And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be speechless and unable to rebuke them, for they are rebels.27 But when I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak. Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Those who choose to listen will listen, but those who refuse will refuse, for they are rebels.